HOT HgCdTe infrared detectors

Abstract

Narrow band gap photon infrared detectors require cryogenic cooling to suppress the noise deteriorating the performance. Among the competitive materials and theoretical predictions favoring type-II superlattices (T2SLs) InAs/GaSb, HgCdTe has been still considered as the leader in terms of the fundamental parameters. The size, weight, power consumption and multispectral response of the infrared detection system play decisive role in fabrication of the higher operation temperature detectors. Several strategies have been implemented to improve the performance at elevated temperatures. The most efficient and used in HgCdTe technology are: non-equilibrium architectures and currently an idea of the barrier detectors. In this paper we present the comparison and short review of the nBnn and pBpp (Bn and Bp stands for n/p-type barrier) HgCdTe photodetectors.